In 1917, David Lloyd George declared that airmen in World War I were "the cavalry of the clouds ... the knighthood of this war." This romantic image was fostered after the war by writers of adventure stories and the stunts of Hollywood filmmakers, though it was far from the harsh realities of the airman's life. Here John Sweetman describes the development of British air power, from their baptism by fire in 1914, carrying out perilous reconnaissance missions and improvising tactics in the first dogfights, to the breakthrough in 1918 that claimed heavy casualties. Through the correspondence of airmen and ground staff of all nationalities, he illustrates the impact this new type of conflict had on those involved and their families at home.